ground hunting

[akita1]

just wanted to know if any of you hunt with your bow from the ground?I started to do this two yrs ago.there is something awesome about a buck walking up on you with nothing but open space between you and him,then trying to get a shot.i just sit on their trails and wait for them to get to the bedding areas. anybody have any tips i can use in my hunts.also i dont use a blind.

[PREDATE]

This is sort of ambush hunting. I like to sit off the side of a trail and also make sure that I can see through the brush so I can prepare for a shot and draw. I don't want an open shot until the deer is past me and quartering away. I hunt this way once the seeking phase heats up and I'm usually on a secluded scrape line.

[sweet old bill]

I have been hunting like this now for over 10 years and it sure make the heart beat fast as you get ready to arrow a deer when it eyeball to eyeball.

 

the biggest problem is scent control and also how to get the bow up to shoot so the deer does not spot your movement.

 

not like in a tree stand when they sure do not see or smell you.

[gfdeputy2]

I hunt from the ground 99% of the time as I am not fond of heights. I feel this is the hardest way to hunt but like you stated probably the most rewarding for me

I agree with sweet old Bill on the scent control & movement keep it to the bare minimum. You will most likely get busted more then not. or just plain not get a good shot. It is easier to see deer with a birds eye view then from the ground. got busted last night as I was drawing on a doe I could not see to my right though the brush & did not see another doe but she saw me draw & it was game over. It gets even harder when the leaves are gone

The buck in my Avatar I took staning in the  middle of open hardwoods 2 years ago in NY. He walked right past me at 15 yards
Good Luck

[bowaholic]

i do the majority of my hunting from the ground and have had a lot of success with bucks and does doing so.  Like you said, nothing better than being eye to eye with a deer.  My first deer I shot with a bow at 14 was less than 10 yards on the ground.  I still remember seeing her 100 yards out in the woods, jumping the fence, walking my exact trail to me, her huge eyes and long eye lashes.  Memories like that are really why I do it.  Plus I get impatient and like to still hunt haha

[bowaholic]

tip is sit on a blow down that has a root ball you can see over, gives you plenty of cover to move and to draw behind.  And also never set your bow on the ground, always have it in your hand and ready, it can happen fast and you need to be prepared. 

[Doc]

I came out of the trees quite a few years ago. Sure it plays into my "extra challenge" thing with my hunting, but I have to be honest, it was a fear of heights that actually put me on the ground. I am a blind builder though. I think that if I were to forgo a blind, I would learn to shoot with a ghillie suit (not the easiest thing in the world). But that is about the best open-ground camo that I can think of.

[Terry]

I am trying a ghillie suit this year, I am confident it will work well. One thing I do is sit flat on my butt. The smaller profile keeps me from getting spotted a lot more than when I stood or sat in a chair. You need to practice that way though, it is slightly tougher to shoot flat on your butt. Also, I try to set up so that the deer will be past me when I draw.

[akita1]

I just love the rush when they walk up on you and have no clue.to who or what you are.I had a nice 8 walk up on me well I was watching another buck and some birds walking up from the fields last yr,when I finally seen him he was prob 10 yds from me with drool dripping down his chin,and all I could do is watch him walk.but that's why I love it.

[dbHunterNY]

Keep the sun at your back and also back up to cover that quarters toward the trail. You're not really visible until the deer passes you. Easier to draw as the deer is focused where it's going and not where it's been.

[Doc]

I shot one doe on the opposite side of a huge oak I was hiding behind (about 5 or 6 feet away). She was coming straight at the tree offering no shot. I was circling the tree as she went by and then drew and waited for her to come out the other side of the tree. I was pretty messed up with excitement. Even that close it's a wonder I got the shot off. I was shaking like a leaf. In all the years of hunting in the trees, I never got a rush that extreme in my life. It was almost a toe to toe, eyeball to eyeball encounter.

[NFA-ADK]

Very good advice.  Remember when still hunting the most important thing is being still.  Move less on dry crunchy days and slightly more when wet or quiet conditions allow.  Wind is a big part, if the wind is not in your favor hunt another area where the wind will work in your benefit.  Sun to your back is great if possible.

 

One method I love is going back about a mile or so from the closest road and then still hunting back towards the road.  Heavy pressure area's force deer into deep or thick cover.  Get in early on high ground to view any swaps or low lying area where bucks might hide.  Scraps, rubs and trails are a great place to start, especially early season, as the rut kicks in key on doe as much as possible.  Use calls they work but use them sparingly and know what type of call to use.  Realize they will peg your spot from over 200 yards away so being in some cover is essential. 

 

I notice older (smarter) deer usually like high places after a long night   (Scent rises in the morning and comes down at dust)  This will alert them to any possible predators below their bedding area.

 

What type of land are you hunting, this makes a big difference depending on how large the tract is and how much hunting presser, buck/doe ration and food availability and wood thickness. 

[HuntOrBeHunted]

I stalk hunt 75 percent of the time. And thats not because I don't have plots to hunt or apple trees I get more action out of a stalk hunt. Key thing is knowing the land your hunting.